Flexible wraps are used around individual beverage containers, such as cans or cups, for keeping the beverage cool. These wraps typically employ some type of heat absorbing material which extracts heat from the beverage. This material is usually precooled to enable absorption of heat. In addition, the heat absorbing material is often insulated by a layer of material with low thermal conductivity. One such prior device, known as the Ice Wrap, is manufactured by Cordy Corporation of Minnesota. This is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/546,534 to Ken Hewlett, et al., inventor of the present invention filed on June 29, 1990 and entitled COOLING WRAP AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING. The Cordy Corporation device does not feature an integral heat absorbing and insulating blanket but requires the user to insert a cold pack into a pocket prior to each use. Since the wrap does not require cooling, the wrap and cold pack are usually stored separately and the potential for misplacing one or the other is present.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,399,668 to Williamson discloses another example of a beverage cooler of this general type. In one embodiment, the cooler includes a pocket for receiving a coolant layer that has been pre-cooled in a refrigeration device. An insulation layer is located adjacent the coolant layer. Fasteners on the ends of the device are used to secure the ends together after the device has been wrapped around a beverage container. The fasteners may include Velcro strips.
One problem in manufacturing these prior wraps, including that shown in the Williamson patent, is the difficulty in aligning the multiple layers thereof and securing them together. For example, the insulating layer comprises a relatively thick blanket of insulative fabric. This blanket has to be faced with the material forming the pocket for the coolant layer. Then, this assemblage has to be put into a sewing machine and sewed together. This can be relatively difficult to do, given the thickness of the materials and the need to keep them aligned while the assemblage is turned in the sewing machine during the sewing operation.
Prior art wraps have also suffered from difficulty of manufacture and from the tendency of the heat absorbing material to move to undesirable locations. Upon applying prior art wraps, the localized force generated tends to reposition the elements of the wrap such that their performance is substantially degraded.
It is one object of this invention to provide an improved flexible multi-layer wrap for keeping a fluid container cool including an integral heat absorbing and heat insulating layer permanently contained within the wrap.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a heat absorbing material integrally fastened to a heat insulating material.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a flexible wrap after substantial cooling of the wrap has occurred.
Accordingly, an improved wrap of this invention comprises providing a pouch formed by opposed inner and outer faces. A first blanket made of a heat absorbing material is further provided to be integrally attached to a second blanket made of a heat insulating material wherein the joined first and second blankets are permanently insertable into the pouch. Fastening means are attached to opposite ends of the pouch so that the ends of the pouch may be secured together after the pouch has been wrapped around a fluid container. The fastening means also serve to hold the integrally connected first and second blankets in position within the pouch.